Charlotte Varcoe
Umpherston Sinkhole Kiosk operator Julie Holdsworth will cease trade later this year after a decade in the business.
Making the decision to retire, Ms Holdsworth said it had been a pleasure to run the tourism-based business on the edge of Mount Gambier/Berrin.
First taking over the small business in 2014, Ms Holdsworth said it was her passion for tourism which drew her in.
“When council put the tender out I already had a business in tourism in Victoria so I thought it would be a good opportunity,” Ms Holdsworth said.
“It worked hand in hand and there was a lot of thought put into it because they were looking for a professional tourism officer.”
Upon securing the building, Ms Holdsworth said it required a lot of renovating.
“We painted and put in a kitchen so we could provide tea and coffee and light luncheons,” she said.
“The shop was for tourists who come into town and being right on the highway a lot of people from Melbourne make this their first point of call.”
Ms Holdsworth said the business started out small but continued to develop more and more as tourists numbers grew.
“There were so many people over the years and they were just from all over the world,” she said.
“Tourism is an industry I am passionate about and have been associated with for 25 years.
“I have worked in many different areas of the tourism industry and everyday is just a different day.”
Ms Holdsworth said she loved working within the industry and meeting new people from across the world and region.
“We have people from the nursing homes come out and have tea and people with special needs, school groups and a vast range of people,” she said,
“We have had people who come along here every year for a holiday in Mount Gambier and in the 10 years I have been here they come each year.”
While the memories would stay with Ms Holdsworth, she said she would also miss catering for clubs, charities and coaches.
“We have catered for clubs like Variety who we also donate to and other clubs and coaches,” she said.
“This has been very big for us and I will miss it, because it is important to have that friendly smile as tourists come into town and be committed to seek what the tourists want and make sure they are cared for while here in Mount Gambier.”
While the tourists were appreciative of the service, Ms Holdsworth said she was appreciative of the local community’s support.
“We had the community of Mount Gambier who supported my shop through and through since I have been here and a lot of them would come out and bring their family down,” she said.
“They might grab a souvenir and take it back to people, but we have also had walking clubs who will come and sit down for a coffee.
“There has been a vast range of people that I have dealt with over the last10 years but we have built the business up and have been pretty successful.”
Ms Holdsworth said she was proud of what had been achieved over the years – especially surviving the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This is wholly and solely tourism and there were no tourists,” Ms Holdsworth said.
“This was a time when we closed and we had all the stock ready for the season which was thousands of dollars worth of stock we still had to pay for.
“When we shut down, it was a bit of a nightmare but once Melbourne was allowed to come over it really saved the business.”
Moving forward, Ms Holdsworth said she was unsure what she was going to do next but ensured spending time with family was a priority.
“I know my family are looking forward to being home over Christmas instead of me being at work and I will be able to do a lot more,” she said.
“I think now is a good time to retire and I will have quite a few months off being in tourism and spending time with my family.”
City of Mount Gambier general manager city infrastructure Barbara Cernovskis said with Ms Holdsworth retiring council would assume the operations of the site.
“That will be a bit later in the year as Umpherston Sinkhole/Balumbul is quite close to everybody’s heart and visitation there has been enormous,” Ms Cernovskis said.
“We need to be able to manage the site, so we’ve got a regenerative maintenance program being developed at the moment because it’s great while things are popular, but sometimes they’re a victim of their own success also.
“That’s where council have made the decision for some master planning to be undertaken on that site also.”
